The human touch
Re: "Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges", (Sport, June 28).
I don't think I'm a Luddite but I read with consternation that Wimbledon is doing away with human line judges and replacing them with electronic line calling.
I have noticed as well that in many parking structures in Bangkok, the nice people who used to take my ticket have now been made redundant by electronic ticket dispensers.
I used to enjoy interacting with them, albeit briefly. Now I just can't bring myself to reply to the automated "Have a nice day" with a "You too". What with the constant news about AI this and AI that, it's all getting to be a bit much.
Despite that, replacing with egoless robots some of our "world leaders", who keep getting us into pickles, might not be a bad idea.
The Klongurchin
Too much gayness?
Re: "Rainbow overkill", (PostBag, June 28).
I'm more than a little bemused that Jason Jellison should be so rattled by the Post's coverage of the Thai Pride month of June. My uptake of the Post's stories is via the app, but I haven't felt overwhelmed by the gayness of it all.
Mr Jellison seems to imply the copy of the BP in his local bar had been "closed in haste" by a previous reader as if in disgust at the level of "gay" stories.
He then employs one of his trademark non sequiturs to suggest this is the very sort of thing that is driving down tourist numbers.
Firstly, it is unlikely that all tourists read the Bangkok Post. Secondly, Pride events are actually likely to attract LGBTQ tourists, as they do in Sydney, London and San Francisco. I doubt there is any evidence that "straight" tourists avoid Thailand because of a few Pride celebrations.
It is also interesting that Mr Jellison has twice referenced his age as an "older gay man", (still shy of 50), as if this confers some sort of elder-statesman gravitas to his dismissal of increased recognition of the LGBTQ community.
Ray Ban
Values debate
Re: "Respectful intention?", (PostBag, June 27) & "Clip scandal grows by day", (Editorial, June 23).
In his letter in PostBag, Joseph Ting suggests Hun Sen should be held in the same esteem that symbolises the Confucian adage of "older age piety," and that "the respectful term 'uncle' is not inappropriate for the elder Hun Sen."
Cambodia's former prime minister (1985-2023), Hun Sen has been linked with human rights abuses.
He was a Khmer Rouge commander in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he oversaw the K5 forced labour programme which has been accused of systematic torture of dissidents. He went on to oppose Khmer Rouge tribunals and helped conceal past atrocities.
A dim recollection of the Analects brings to mind that Confucius emphasised self-reflection and learning such that a foundation of humility can move individuals to recognise their limitations and thereby develop morally.
In my view, "older age piety" ranks as the least of Confucian values, a fact well illustrated by Mr Ting's letter.
Michael Setter
